Sporting CP host Atalanta in a UEFA Europa League Group D clash with both teams aiming to build on opening day wins. Sporting are looking imperious at the moment and should have the edge over the Italians who have found things difficult on their recent travels.
Sporting CP picked up a 2-1 victory at Sturm Graz in their opening Group D fixture in the Europa League. They showed great character to fight back from a goal down with efforts from Viktor Gyokeres and Ousmane Diomande earning them the win.
It has been a superb overall campaign for Sporting CP so far, as they are yet to taste defeat across all competitions. Ruben Amorim's men are setting the pace in the Primeira Liga and picked up a 3-2 victory at Farense last weekend.
Sporting CP have also maintained an impressive record at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, where they have won all four of their matches across all competitions. That run is driven by a solid defence that has kept three clean sheets in the last three matches in front of their fans.
Atalanta also picked up a win on match-day one as they triumphed 2-0 over Rakow Czestochowa. After being frustrated in the first half, they came to life after the break with goals from Charles De Ketelaere and Ederson earning them the win.
That win appears to have sparked up a run of good results for Atalanta, who have now claimed three wins and a draw from their last four matches across all competitions. That draw came last Saturday as Gian Piero Gasperini’s men were held 0-0 by Juventus in a Serie A fixture.
A slight blemish on Atalanta’s recent good form is that they have been a bit unconvincing on their recent travels. The Bergamo side have lost two of their last three away matches but did claim a 1-0 Serie A victory over Verona in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Sporting CP have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 5/4 by Paddy Power. A victory for Atalanta is valued at 21/10 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by William Hill.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Sporting CP and Atalanta
Players to watch
Viktor Gyokeres has hit the ground running for Sporting CP and has scored four goals in his last four matches across all competitions. The Swedish striker was also on target at Sturm Graz and is priced at 21/10 by William Hill to find the net on Thursday.
Atalanta can also hold their own going forward with Ademola Lookman scoring in two of his last four matches. The Nigerian attacker could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net on Thursday at 13/4 by Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is plenty of attacking quality on display here and both teams could be backed to score at 7/10 with William Hill. Sporting CP saw over 3.5 goals in their last fixture and could be set for a repeat at 21/10 with BetVictor, who is also offering odds of 5/6 for over 2.5 goals.
Sporting CP scored in both halves last weekend and Thursday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 11/5 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Europa League match between Sporting CP and Atalanta will be played on Oct 5, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sporting CP vs Atalanta prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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